


On Thin Ice

by SkeletonDinosaurHell (LadyPterosaur)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Ice Skating, M/M, Near Death Experience, Near Drowning, Secret Santa, Small bit of angst, Spicyhoney - Freeform, because I say so, papcest - Freeform, skeletons can breath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-01-15
Packaged: 2019-03-05 05:01:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13380708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyPterosaur/pseuds/SkeletonDinosaurHell
Summary: Rus (swap pap) and Edge (fell pap) go out for a fun day of ice skating.  What could possibly go wrong?My Secret Santa 2017 gift for Askellie





	On Thin Ice

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Askellie (NadaNine)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NadaNine/gifts).



> I somehow got you two years in a row XD Not completely sure how that happened :P

"Come on Edgelord, it can't be that hard to catch me." Rus chuckled from his place out on the frozen lake, gliding about effortless on a pair of borrowed ice skates. Meanwhile Edge just glared at the other skeleton from a mound of snow on the shore, red eye-lights pulsing in irritation.

"Shut up ash trash! I'm not about to be defeated by frozen water, let alone a lazy asshole like you." Edge growled out as he got to his feet once more. It had become clear that he wasn't as skilled on skates as his orange clad bastard of a boyfriend but he was also never one to back down from a challenge and was off again on wobbly legs in no time.

Thus began a game of cat and mouse, as red chased orange around the winter scene. One trying all manner of ways to slow the other down. It had become a sort of challenge in the eyes of the fell verse monster.

Edge would throw snowballs (and occasionally bones) to try and trip up the other and Rus would dodge and weave out of the way. Sometimes even doing a little trick here or there to show up the more competitive skeleton.

Rus always did have a talent for pissing his bonefriend off.

"Come on Edgy! You're getting closer, almost hit me that time." Rus taunted, as a snowball flew past his head. That had been Edge's best shot yet and Rus decided to give the other a break. With one swift movement the hoodie wearing asshole turned around and started skating backwards, a move that made him a slower target. "Look I'll even make it easy for you."

"I don't need your pity, I'm not a babybones!" Edge hissed out flinging a bone attack at the other skeleton and to which Rus easily dodged, as it went a bit wide. (Edge wouldn't admit to his purposefully faulty aim, being overly cautious of the others low hp.)

"Couldn't ev- oof" A Snowball finally hitting Rus squarely in the face, causing him to suddenly stumble and loose balance. Landing hard on his tailbone. The bone attack having been a distraction to allow Edge to finally get a hit in. Rus gave a lighthearted chuckle from his new place on the ice. "Okay Okay, I admit defeat. Good play there Edgelord."

There was a pleased Nyeh in the distance. "But of course, no lazybones will get the best of the great and terrible papyrus for long."

That elicited another small chuckle from the other. "Of course... not..." Rus began, speech slowing down in confusion as he finally registered a faint cracking sound.

In all the fun and excitement Rus had not realized he'd strayed into the dangerous off limits zone.

A look of horror crossed the hoodie clad skeletons face, eye sockets wide as he looked up at Edge. The other looking at him in confusion, not yet registering what was wrong and before he could there was a loud sickening crack.

Rus was suddenly falling, plunging into the dark abyss beneath the ice. His whole body going into complete shock as the freezing cold water surrounded his bones and saturated his clothing. It was like his entire being was being attacked by thousands of painful needles, piercing every part of him, inundating his eye sockets, nasal cavity and down his throat.

It was a little known fact that skeletons didn't float. They also needed to breath.

Rus's eye-lights trained on the fading light above and he felt himself try to move, to try and reach out towards the fleeting rays of the sun. But his body felt heavy and numb, his limbs not responding as his chest seized up with blinding pain. He was already out of air, hadn't had a chance to get much before falling in.

Darkness was already encroaching on his vision, the blackness around him like an ethereal void as he descended deeper into the lake. His thoughts slowed and for a moment all he could think was, _so this is how I die huh? Falling through the ice like an idiot..._

A sudden tug drew his fading consciousness downward towards his soul. At first he thought maybe it was cracking but as red light surrounded the fragile organ his numbed awareness managed a single thought.

_Edge._

With the last dregs of coherence he felt his body being pulled upward with urgency and then the grasp of hands, clawed phalanges grasping his bones, that pulled him from the waters icy grasp. He was on the surface now and Rus couldn't stop his body from shaking, rattling and convulsing from the cold. Throat burning as freezing cold liquid spilled from his mouth in gasping ragged coughs.

Rus could hear a frantic voice now, muffled as though his head was stuffed full of cotton, he couldn't understand what they were saying. But he could feel the other touching him. Touching his face, palms warm with magic.

Oh how he wanted so desperately to be enveloped by that warmth was the poor skeletons last thought before he allowed the darkness to finally take him.

\--------

beep... beep... beep...

There was a noise, low, annoying and consistent but seemingly all present in his skull. Muted a bit, though in a haze much like his skull at the moment as he tried to string together a single coherent thought. Where was he? What had happened?

With great pains and reluctance Rus allowed awareness to creep back into his being, his bones slowly registering his surroundings. Of the warmth covering his body in a thick, almost suffocating, cocoon. He could feel its weight on his ribcage and its softness so welcome after the pain and cold.

Oh that's right... he'd fallen through the ice.

Slowly Rus pried opened his sockets, eye-lights fuzzy and not really focused as he took in the room around him. He could make out that it was white, with some touches of blue here and there, and dimly lite.

With some effort he rolled his head to the side, vision sharpening slightly as he caught sight of a figure. They were slumped over a chair asleep, book on their lap as tiny almost impracticable snores escaped through their sharp teeth.

Edge... his more coherent thoughts provided and Rus could start to feel a twinge of happiness touch his soul.

The dark skeleton began to stir, as though sensing the others conscious state, stretching his arms above his head, as he popped his back with a grimace. That chair couldn't have been to uncomfortable to sleep in after all.

Edge let out a yawn, lidded sockets glancing down at the bed ridden skeleton before him before widening in surprise. He'd obviously not been expecting Rus to be awake and wasted no time as he quickly stood up, sending the chair tumbling backwards, and carefully embraced the other.

"You god damned asshole, don't pull that shit on me again or I'll kill you myself." Despite the seemingly harsh words Rus could hear the waver in his voice, the concern. Edge had been genuinely upset and the other skeleton could feel relief radiating off his soul, happy for the first time in hours.

"heh... g-good to see y-you to Edge." Rus whispered out, voice a bit weak and stuttery.

\------------

Edge would be the first to admit that he'd never been the best at expressing his feelings and was by default a rather controlled individual. All of which had been rather thoroughly shattered by the events that had transpired just two days ago.

The sheer amount of panic and helplessness he'd felt as he watched his lover slip through that hole in the ice, gone in barely a second. A dark void the only trace he'd once been sitting there laughing just moments ago. He'd gotten there as fast as he could but as he had pulled the barely conscious gasping Rus from the water, his whole body shaking violently from the cold...

Those images would stay with him forever.

Even now as he looked down at the sleeping form curled up at his side, bones radiating their signature warmth, his mind would flash with the images. The shaking, the shallow pained breaths, the weak pulses of magic and the agonizing wait for medics to arrive. All while preying to the angel he'd never believed in before, that Rus would be okay. That he'd make it through this...

Edge had been so close to losing Rus that day and the thought alone caused him to marginally tighten his grip on the sleeping skeleton. Rus was one of the only important things in his life, the only other person outside his brother who seemed to understand him.

As though sensing his distressed thoughts Rus stirred slightly, pressing his smaller frame up as close as he could to Edge's. Soul emitting waves of calm safety, stilling the fluttering emotions of the fell monsters own.

It was not healthy to dwell on these thoughts, it was to soon and to fresh. He'd have time to process it all in time but for now Edge had more important matters to attend to.

With a quiet sigh he pressed his sharp teeth against Rus's forehead. "Alright asshole you win." reluctantly pulling the covers over himself, Edge allowed himself to fall asleep, arms tightly and protectively wrapped around his one and only.

**Author's Note:**

> I originally was going to have Red and Blue show up but decided just to strictly focus on the Paps. Just imagine Edge sent Blue home to get some rest, since the blueberry was worried out of his mind about his little bro.


End file.
